Hardships of Loving A Hero
by SpiderLobb
Summary: In the end, a hero is just a man. A man who has made more people happy, made more women love him than any other. A short few paragraphs about the nature of Naruto Uzumaki, and the women who love(d) him. NaruxHina, WAFF-somewhat, AU(As of 700-ish)


Disclaim-thy-shit: Naruto isn't mine, none of it is. I just write these things when I feel like being a fan. If you enjoy it, be happy!

Warning: NarutoxHinata pairing, Mention of NarutoxShion and NarutoxIno. Just a dinky little fic idea that wouldn't get out of my head, so I figured I'd see if anyone else enjoyed it.

-xxxxxxx-

Hinata understood more than anyone how Naruto was still a human underneath the legends that had sprung up around him even before his pivotal part in winning the fourth war.

Though he was her husband now, there were many things that the Princess of the Hyuuga had learned in time that had made their first year together difficult.

It had started rather abruptly with Naruto's need to be honest in most things, especially love. Naruto had explained in no small detail that he'd been hurt before in looking for love and, despite his disbelief that Hinata would do the same, was simply trying to protect them both. Hinata could understand that, having seen some of the ways Naruto had been hurt before.

But then he told her things, like that he was already a father and that after the Pain attack, he'd gone out with Ino, but no, she wasn't the mother (obviously, because Hinata didn't remember her running around with a baby.) Naruto talked about a Priestess named Shion and a promise he made to her, and how that year their little girl, Emi, would be two years old.

He'd shown her a picture then, too, of a blonde girl who looked quite like herself if she were slightly less busty, were blonde, and had lavender purple eyes instead of her own silver byakugan. And the child was darling, even Hinata had to admit that. The little thing in the picture had her mother's eyes, and her father's obscenely rich golden blonde hair as well as a pair of darkening whisker marks adorning her cheeks.

Naruto had started with Shion, talking at length how he'd met the girl and what had led to their sharing a bed and then the somewhat strange parenting situation. With Naruto's looming ascension to Hokage, and the dangers before hand, Shion had been left alone in raising Emi with only occasional correspondence keeping him in touch with the two. Shion was a part of his life, as was Emi, and he wasn't going to put off the priestess in favor of someone else, because even though the two weren't in love, they had an important bond.

Hinata understood that, and while she wished Naruto's children had all been her's, part of her was pleased at the ability to practice with the little girl when Shion would visit them. And Hinata did learn to like the girl who claimed Naruto's first child.

Naruto then explained the situation with Ino. The girl had been his first in many things simply because she had the guts and the interest where others had not. Their relationship had been promising, and Naruto had thought they were heading towards marriage when Ino had gotten cold feet and crushed his feelings for her by running away. Naruto only found out a few months later that it had been because Ino was afraid of commitment, and being hurt herself. And by then, Naruto was too over her to try and put the pieces of their relationship back together.

So like Naruto was wont to do, he forgave and became her friend again. And Ino was quickly his best female friend, looking out for him and giving him advice where it mattered. Even if he hated her fashion advice.

Ino had been his first, and Hinata could take that. But it wasn't easy, much like getting over his seeming comfort with having a child out of wedlock with a woman who, Hinata thought, didn't love him.

But it took a very small amount of time for Hinata to realize that both of those women -had- loved Naruto but between Shion's understanding that Naruto would never be able to be completely her's and Ino's fear of being weighed down, Naruto had come out on the (relative) losing side.

Nevertheless, he was attentive to her and gave her two beautiful sons over the last three years of their marriage, although it was hard to count them both since they had been twins. (Naruto still loved to tell the story of how Hinata had never let a curse fly from her mouth until that day. She still blushed about it.)

So, when Shion came to Naruto's home, walking along with a five year old blonde girl with lavender eyes and a grin that could only be her father's, Hinata smiled and watched her two sons make faces and try to play with "Big Sister Emi." And Hinata and the priestess talked about meager things, occasionally Hinata would tell Shion how Naruto was doing, if he wasn't there to brag to Shion about his accomplishments himself.

And when she found Ino being held tight in Naruto's arms, crying because she'd been hurt in her own pursuit of love, Hinata had given them their space, crying not because it hurt but because she was -proud-.

Because in the end, Hinata understood all too well that loving Naruto wasn't just loving a man, it was loving a Hero. And no Hero left a trail of broken hearted women.

It just wasn't Naruto's way.


End file.
